Page 33 of A Recipe Called Home

“I wasn’t planning to stay long,” Jules said, not wanting to be alone with Luke. This was not on her bingo card for the day.

“Please, it’ll only take a few minutes.”

“I can wait for you, Jules,” Becca cut in.

The next thing she knew, Jules was walking through the large ornate room, avoiding Luke’s hand as he tried to place it on her lower back. Once they’d cleared the main room, Luke going on about the Swedish architect they’d hired to design the place, they stepped into a smaller, more intimate dining area with a modest bar in the corner. It was empty except for one bored-looking bartender.

“It’s been, what, two years since we saw each other?” he said, motioning for her to take a seat near a large window.

“Give or take. I haven't been keeping track, honestly."

“You look…well. Different. I like the dark hair.”

"Thanks? I’m not sure how to respond to that." She was wary of him and was too tired to hide it.

“I’m surprised to see you here. Not really your scene. But I’m glad we ran into each other,” he said before pausing. “What have you been up to?”

Jules didn’t know what came over her as she let out a bitter laugh. It could have been the way he asked the question, like she was being interviewed. She’d witnessed him do this to others in the past, sizing them up to gauge their value or his perceived “worthiness.”

“I’ve been away on travel the past few weeks. I’m leaving again tomorrow,” she said, offering no details. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline in interest.

“Still at the Treasury Department, though?”

“Yes, but not for much longer,” Jules said, surprising herself. As soon as the admission left her lips, she knew it was true. She couldn’t work any longer for either Becca or the secretary. Whatexactlyshe would do next, though, she had no clue.

“Well, that’s great to hear. I always thought that job was beneath you.”

Taken aback, she screwed her face into a bewildered glare. “I stopped caring what you thought about me a long time ago, Luke.”

She couldn’t believe she almost married this narcissistic man. No wonder he did so well in D.C. The town was overrun with people just like him. Or at least, that’s all she seemed to find herself surrounded by.

When she’d brought Luke home two years ago for her grandfather’s funeral, he’d acted as if Riverbend and her family were beneath him. The entire trip, he kept throwing out veiled insults like, “I bet there are more cows here than people.” When he found out they would be staying at her grandparents’ house, he flat out refused and booked them a room at a fancy bed and breakfast in the town over. He never once took the time to console or even talk to her family members, including her grandma. The last straw was at the funeral when he’d walked off to take a work call and never returned, sitting in the rental car for the entire program.

“No need to get hostile, Jules. You’re the one who left me, remember? But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about you since then,” he whispered as he leaned in to place his hand on her knee.

For the briefest of moments, Jules considered what her life would have been like if she’d married him. This kind of day would be normal; they’d spend their downtime at clubs and fancy restaurants, pretending to be people they weren’t and trying to impress others to drown their disappointment in each other. The vision terrified her.

Standing to go, Jules said, “Nice seeing you again, Luke. I wish you the very best.” And with that, she strode back out, leaving Luke sitting alone at the table, speechless.

As she made her way through the main room to where Becca still sat at the bar, she decided her time here was over. There wasn’t much left to say but the truth.

Jules collected her things from the stool and turned to Becca, forcing herself to look her in the eyes when she said, “I won’t be joining you at the new firm. In fact, you can take this as my resignation from the department as well. All the best to you and the secretary. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Becca’s mouth fell open, speechless as her cheeks turned a bright red, probably from anger and a healthy dose of embarrassment. Jules didn’t plan to stick around to hear what she had to say or to be talked out of it, so she nodded to herself and walked straight to the exit, head high.

It wasn’t until Jules was in the taxi riding back to her apartment that it hit her.

She’d quit.

She’d done it. Although the thought had been idly bouncing around her head for some time now, she had never given it any true attention until now, in the heat of the moment. But she calmed her rising panic by reassuring herself she had enough in savings to last almost a year. She’d figure out her next move by then, right? If the last few weeks had taught her anything, it was that her life didn’t need to be planned out to the minute. Shecouldbe happy living with the unknown for a while.

As she watched the streets of the city zip by through the window, a weight lifted off her shoulders for the first time since she arrived in D.C. Whether from her decision to quit her job or getting closure on her relationship with Luke, she didn’t care. She was just grateful for those in her life who would help her through the era of the unknown: Grandma Rosa, Winnie, and Miles—no, not Miles, she quickly corrected herself. Jules didn’t have a claim over him, and it wouldn’t be fair to lead him on when everything was up in the air. They hadn’t even talked about what came next, if they’d stay in each other’s lives beyond her time in Riverbend. Plus, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to tell him what happened after prom. He was building a steady, quiet life. He didn't need anything messy.

The resolve to put an end to whatever it was they were doing back in Riverbend strengthened as she mulled over her new sense of freedom. Jules texted Winnie to confirm their plans for tomorrow:

Still planning to pick me up at the airport tomorrow? I can’t wait to tell you about how I imploded my life today :)

Ohh, do tell! Yes, I’ll be there tomorrow bright and early. Can’t wait to hear all about it <3 Unless you want to talk now?

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